Vengeance belongs to the jilted with Greenwood couple’s app

The Greenwood couple behind an iPhone app they say lets ghosts communicate with the living recently unveiled new software that lets jilted lovers take digital revenge on former mates.

Jill and Roger Pingleton, founders of Streamside Software, released Hex My Ex in February. An Android version is available on SlideMe and was expected to be released this month on Google Play.

The app lets users cast creepy spells summoning death rays, cheater stink, wraith vomit and other digital horrors onto photos of ex-boyfriends or ex-girlfriends.

The topic might seem off-base for this newlywed couple. The Pingletons tied the knot in December, but it’s not a first marriage for either. They say they have experience with breakups.

Both are avid ghost hunters. Their first app, Spirit Story Box, gained viral Internet fame after The Indianapolis Star featured the couple in August.

Roger, 49, is a software engineer, and Jill is a Realtor. They run Streamside Software from their home.

Question: You've gotten married since the launch of Spirit Story Box last year. We can assume you are both pretty happy, so what prompted you to create Hex My Ex?

Roger: Yes, we are happy; that's not to say that there wasn't a time I wouldn't have wanted to hex one of my exes. When you've had someone who was difficult, did things like throw food at you, like I've had, you'd like to get to the point where you can laugh about it. I'd like to help other people get to that point.

Jill: We started playing with the idea of an app that can incorporate a user's photos. There are several apps that do this currently, but we applied our dark sense of humor to it, threw in some gesture controlled special effects in a 3D environment and added a cautionary tale. It's OK to grieve or be angry after a failed relationship. I have some exes that just can't let it go.

Q: This kind of digital revenge is harmless fun, but it seems like something people might put down. How do you keep it fresh?

Roger: That is a challenge. We've had a lot of other funny ideas and some spinoffs, but we're waiting to see if our audience is with us. If they don't respond to it, we'll move on to the next project.

Q: Tell us about last year's Indianapolis Star story and the viral Internet fame for Spirit Story Box?

Roger: It was crazy. We had no idea it would spread so quickly and so far. It's reached No. 1 in entertainment in numerous foreign countries. It topped out in the U.S. at No. 4 in entertainment. It was hilarious reading the posted comments about us.

Jill: The Indianapolis Star story started it all. The wire service picked it up and it was featured in the Huffington Post and USA Today's technology section. We filmed a 4-½ minute spot at a haunted mansion for a Louisville, Ky., news channel; did a Skype interview for a Cleveland news station; we were on a local radio station on Halloween morning and a live interview on a Scottish radio station. The app was featured in two United Kingdom spiritual magazines. It really touched a nerve with people — very polarized reactions. We had some very poignant stories come to us as well, people who felt like the app allowed them to make contact with the other side. It was an incredible experience.

Q: Are you both still ghost hunting?

Roger: Yes, we had a very interesting experience on a ghost investigation that we are making into a film.

Q: Can you tell us more about that experience?

Jill: It was an intense experience for Roger. We have been doing a lot of filming as a result of investigating haunted locations, so we formed a film company, TwoStreams Films. We were invited by Marilene Isaacs (a local Intuitive Healer) to film her and investigate The Bona Thompson Memorial Center in Irvington. A new installation there, “The Angels of West Baden,” features replicas of the paintings found secretly hidden away in the cupola of the dome in the West Baden Springs Hotel in French Lick. During the investigation, one of the paintings began to shake violently right in front of Roger.

Q: How are things with Streamside Software? Have you been able to quit your day jobs yet?

Roger: Busy. We definitely consider Spirit Story Box a success, but we put every penny earned from it back into the business. I haven't been able to quit yet, but it's given us the opportunity to keep doing what we love. In the app world, you never know what the next big hit will be.

Jill: Good. Our learning curve is getting steeper every day. This is a fledgling company and we have many more ideas than we have time to pursue.

Q: At the risk of reducing demand for your new app, what is your secret to marital bliss?

Roger: Always be thankful for everything your spouse does. Chances are they are giving all they can give. And even if they aren't, a positive approach is always more successful.

Jill: Choose someone who is a a true partner and friend who listens to you. Shared goals and vision for the future is key. Stay tuned — we are working on a dating app next.

Call Star reporter Vic Ryckaert at (317) 444-2701. Follow him on Twitter: @VicRyc.